PBR Utah 2024 Top 10 Rankings

Zach Edwards RHP / SS / Riverton, UT / 2024

Oregon State commit

A 6-3 185 above avg athlete, that also plays basketball. Edwards was throwing his FB upwards of 88 mph in the fall ('19) of his 8th grade year, when he received his 1st D1 offer. Going into his freshman campaign, with many offers in hand, he chose powerhouse Oregon State. With a classic high kick to a compact delivery, Zach has good length down the slope with lower half leverage, and has a med compact arm circle thru a HTQ arm stroke. The FB touches 89, but works more in the 85-87 range which is really good considering his age. The CB has the makings of being a solid pitch and he throws K's. Will be fun to watch him on the Utah HS scene over the next 3+ years. 

Stats for the 2021 Season:

APP 7 W 1 L 1 ERA 2.90 IP 31.1 H 36 R 18 ER 13 BB 6 29 

Luke Taylor C / 1B / Skyline, UT / 2024

2021 Future Games Roster

12/1/20

Excerpt from the winter: Taylor came as advertised from his HS coach, and former D1/D2 recruiting coordinator Eric Morgan. What’s interesting is that being a ‘24, he has yet to play a HS game, but you can see this kid contributing to his varsity team this next season. 

3/6/21

“LT” has become one of my favorite players in the state. The kid has a demeanor that creates a leadership type attitude, and is a good teammate, along with being very talented. The arm has a ways to go, and he does run like a catcher, but the receiving and mechanics for a 15 year old are advanced and the metrics are out on this part of the game, as the eye test is used. He sticks pitches and works underneath the ball and steals K’s. He blocks and recovers well for his age. But the bat is advanced for a freshman with 88 mph EV’s and his longest drive of the day was at 347 ft. He shows a demeanor and aura about him in the box and behind the plate and exudes confidence and has an engaging personality. All qualities that will make him a next level college player.

Stats for the 2021 Season: 

G 27 PA 101 AB 73 R 21 H 33 AVG .452 HR 0 RBI 17 2B 11 3B 0 BB 20 SO 12

Austin Ellis C / 1B / Westlake , UT / 2024

2021 Future Games Roster

Another young player that I liked in November at our Fall Prospect ID and invited to the Preseason All-State event and didn’t disappoint. He improved his hitting metrics across the board, while showing the same slightly uphill approach and path to the baseball, that will lend itself to hit and hit for power throughout his HS career and into college. The EV of 87, improved to 90 this go around, and his max distance from 303 to 330. Still young and raw behind the dish, but has tremendous potential with the bat and also just came out of the gym basically with limited time to get ready, as he was a contributing member of the 6A State Championship Hockey Team last week. Look forward to following Austin and his HS career moving forward.

Stats for the 2021 Season:

G 10 PA 30 AB 24 R 6 H 10 AVG .417 HR 1 RBI 8 2B 2 3B BB 3 SO 3

Trey Evans OF / Crimson Cliffs , UT / 2024

One of the better hitters in the state statistically regardless of age and class. Evans played LF for second year Crimson Cliffs and Coach Justin Abbott, and hit in the 3 hole for a 15-12 squad. A consistent threat week in and week out and faced some of the better arms in the state, in Region 9 play, as there's 5 arms in the region, that touch 88/90 or even higher with a couple. Has some jumpiness to his feet and gets his whole body into his swing, rather than getting under his hips and using his legs. What he does do, is he has really good timing and the ability to square balls up and hit them hard to the pull side. One for college coaches to definitely follow moving forward.  

Stats for the 2021 Season:

G 27 AB 86 H 26 AVG .419 HR 4 RBI 28 2B 13 3B 0 

Zachary Carlson OF / LHP / Juan Diego Catholic, UT / 2024

2021 Future Games Roster

A talented two way player with the bat and on the mound. It’s tough to crack metrics boards as a freshman, and this is an eye test baseball player with advanced skills for a 15 year old. He ran a 6.93/60 yard dash while showing a smooth fluid arm stroke from RF at 78-83 mph, with online one hop accurate throws. He produced an EV of 85.65 which is good for his age. The arm on the mound is fluid and loose with a long whippy clean arm stroke. The delivery is sound for his age and one that with a FB topping 80 is where most freshmen are from the left side that project as his physicality suggests. Has a feel for the CB 67-69 and the CH 66-68. I look for his arsenal to jump 3-4 mph in 6-9 months as he continues to grow and get stronger. One that colleges should have on their radar at a young age. 

Stats for the 2021 Season:

G 27 AB 87 R 27 H 30 AVG .345 HR 1 RBI 23 2B 9 3B 3 SB 11

APP 8 W 3 L 1 ERA 2.17 IP 19.1 H 12 ER 6 SO 18 BAA .185 

Will Dart SS / RHP / Spanish Fork, UT / 2024

Will toggled between SS and 2B with his brother, as BYU commit and when all was said and done, he grabbed hold of the SS job, and ran with it. A large lean athletic frame with projectable height and weight gains to come. Will be a taller athletic middle infielder, and will carry his man body well in the future. Shows athletic actions defensively and has proper footwork with soft hands. Throws have carry and are accurate, from a lower 3/4 arm slot. Hitting a the top of the lineup and has added some strength over the past year. Does carry his hands a bit forward in his load and needs to get the hands back further to create added leverage, but has timing and squared balls up this spring. 

Stats for the 2021 Season:

G 25 PA 88 AB 72 R 17 H 29 AVG .403 HR 0 RBI 16 2B 5 3B 1 BB 13 SO 17 SB 7

Easton Barrett OF / LHP / Springville , UT / 2024

An athletic two way type, that impressed with not only where his metrics are for a freshman, but his movement patterns and his mechanics on the mound and the quality of the arm stroke along with a feel for 3 pitches. As a hitter, he has a classic upright square stance and gets loaded, along with a short fluid stroke. He needs to fire his hips a bit more, using his core, but he is 14/15 years old. He generated an EV of 90.45 mph, and on the mound, he was 79-82 with the FB, showing arm side life and had an event 2nd best FB spin rate of 2332, which is above average on a big league scale! The CB 66-69 is a drop in type and needs to be tighter, but it has the potential to be a pitch in time, as it has shape and definition, along with medium depth and controls for K’s. What separates him now, is the advanced feel for the CH 72-73 with deception and maintains FB arm speed with it and it fades with late sink and dive at the plate. He throws it with conviction and has confidence in it. Intriguing young player!

Stats for  the 2021 Season:

G 27 PA 99 AB 78 R 22 H 28 AVG .359 HR 0 RBI 15 2B 7 3B 5 BB 14 SO 25 SB 6

APP 13 W 1 L 1 ERA 2.78 IP 27.2 H 29 R 23 ER 11 BB 17 SO 46 SV 3

Cooper Hansen LHP / OF / Riverton, UT / 2024

12/1/21

Hansen has the look and mannerisms of a ball player, as he showed well both as a hitter and as a LHP. Unlike some good freshmen that are over developed at a young age and stand out physically over their peers, Cooper has an athletic even props build and carries himself well. From a good HS program that has produced quite a few D1 and college level prospects, although his velo was 79-81, you can project steady increases over the next 4 calendar years! What he did was show the ability to feature a balanced high compact kick to delivery with a short HTQ arm stroke that he repeats and hits the mitt with. The CB had some depth and TQ shape with depth. As a hitter, he displayed an exit velo of 86.6 with the ability to drive the baseball deep to the big part of the field on a line. He features a classic upright even props square stance and loads his bat slightly before picking up his foot and setting it down softly. He features a short compact stroke w/some slight uphill and whips the bat into a high one hand finish. In the OF he aggressively charges the ball and fields it cleanly out front and gets into solid throwing position. Shows a TQ arm stroke with good ext and projs arm strength over the next four years. Will be a good one to watch moving forward.

Stats for the 2021 Season:

APP 9 W 4 L 1 ERA 1.31 IP 37.1 H 28 R 13 ER 7 BB 15 SO 30 

Jaxson Reiser OF / RHP / Bingham , UT / 2024

12/1/21

An intriguing 6-2 175 class of ‘24 with a bright future. A young 14 year old incoming freshman who should be able to contribute to the varsity this next spring. A lean athletic strongly built wiry build with definite proj, to go along with added growth and strength gains with natural maturity. A two way type that shows flashes on both sides of the baseball and on the mound. As an OF, defensively he moves well into the baseball, fielding out front, and getting his body with momentum into his throws. Does need to raise his arm to no less than HTQ with his throwing stroke, as he throws from a LTQ almost side arm slot like Hunter Pence. As a hitter, he starts from an even props upright stance, and rocks into his back leg and loads the bat at a 45 degree angle, while taking a soft foot strike out front. He gets good separation, but would like to see him get hinged into his back leg, which will give him better balance and allow him to stay back on off speed. The bat path is short with some length out front and has some uphill. Would like to see a more linear path and is very correctable. On the mound, he shows the potential to throw hard one day, as he reached FB max of 83, with late hop. The delivery has a base to work from and the size and arm speed to carry more as he develops over time. The delivery is a medium to high kick with balance and breaks over the rubber. The arm works from a loose full circle HTQ arm stroke with a loose wrist to finish pitches. Shows the feel to spin the ball and slows his arm somewhat, while needing to throw the CB harder and with more intent. The CH shows feel w/fade and late mild sink. Just like the CB, he needs to throw with FB arm speed and intent. Has the makings in different facets of the game, to make some noise over the next 4 years, and I look forward to seeing his progress moving forward. 

Andy Decker LHP / OF / Mountain Ridge, UT / 2024

A very projectable 6-0 160 with big feet and hands, suggests more is to come physically. With a tall address to the hitter, he shows flexibility to a high kick to delivery and gets downhill and into his legs with a fluid HTQ clean arm stroke. with a low 80's FB, there's more to come and look for his name to start making the rounds of high school baseball in the state. 

Stats for the 2021 Season:

APP 5 W 1 L 1 ERA 3.50 IP 14 H 14 R 12 ER 7 BB 7 SO 18